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MMWR Article About Tdap Vaccine Coverage

May 26, 2015 A recent article published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes Tdap vaccine coverage among women who were recently pregnant. The authors of the article, published in the May 22nd edition of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly, analyzed data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data in 16 states and New York City (NYC).

The Tdap vaccine provides protection from three diseases: tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. The protection offered by this vaccine against pertussis is particularly important for newborns, who are most vulnerable to the highly contagious disease. The number of cases of pertussis has been increasing since the 1980s. In 2012, more than 48,000 cases were reported. When a woman is vaccinated with the Tdap vaccine during pregnancy (in the 3rd trimester) she passes on her immunity to her baby before birth.

The CDC study estimates that in 2011, 55.7% of women in the US received the Tdap vaccine before, during, or after their most recent pregnancy. This percentage varied widely across states from 38.2% in NYC to 76.6% in Nebraska. Women who started prenatal care earlier were more likely to report they received the vaccine. Among women who reported being vaccinated most reported receiving the vaccine after delivery.